[Federal Register: March 12, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 47)]
[Notices]
[Page 10971-10973]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12mr07-28]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Doc. No. AMS-TM-07-0032; TM-07-05]
Notice of Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is announcing a
forthcoming meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
DATES: The meeting dates are Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.;
Wednesday, March 28, 2007, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Thursday, March 29,
2007, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Requests from individuals and organizations
wishing to make oral presentations at the meeting are due by the close
of business on March 16, 2007.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at The Washington Plaza Hotel
located at Ten Thomas Circle, NW., Washington, DC 20005.
Requests for copies of the NOSB meeting agenda, may be
sent to Ms. Valerie Frances, Executive Director, NOSB, USDA-AMS-TMP-
NOP, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 4008-So., Ag Stop 0268,
Washington, DC 20250-0268. The NOSB meeting agenda and proposed
recommendations may also be viewed at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
Comments on proposed NOSB recommendations may be submitted
in writing to Ms. Frances at either the postal address above or via the
internet at http://www.regulations.gov only. The comments should identify
Docket No. AMS-TM-07-0032; TM-07-05. It is our intention to have all
comments to this notice whether they are submitted by mail or the
internet available for viewing on the http://www.regulations.gov Web site.
Requests to make an oral presentation at the meeting may
also be sent to Ms. Valerie Frances at the postal address above, by e-
mail at valerie.frances@usda.gov, via facsimile at (202) 205-7808, or
phone at (202) 720-3252.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Frances, Executive Director,
[[Page 10972]]
NOSB, National Organic Program (NOP), (202) 720-3252, or visit the NOP
Web site at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 2119 (7 U.S.C. 6518) of the Organic
Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA), as amended (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.)
requires the establishment of the NOSB. The purpose of the NOSB is to
make recommendations about whether a substance should be allowed or
prohibited in organic production or handling, to assist in the
development of standards for substances to be used in organic
production, and to advise the Secretary on other aspects of the
implementation of the OFPA. The NOSB met for the first time in
Washington, DC, in March 1992, and currently has six committees working
on various aspects of the organic program. The committees are:
Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification; Crops; Handling;
Livestock; Materials; and Policy Development.
In August of 1994, the NOSB provided its initial recommendations
for the NOP to the Secretary of Agriculture. Since that time, the NOSB
has submitted 108 addenda to its recommendations and reviewed more than
272 substances for inclusion on the National List of Allowed and
Prohibited Substances. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) published
its final National Organic Program regulation in the Federal Register
on December 21, 2000, (65 FR 80548). The rule became effective April
21, 2001.
In addition, the OFPA authorizes the National List of Allowed and
Prohibited Substances and provides that no allowed or prohibited
substance would remain on the National List for a period exceeding 5
years unless the exemption or prohibition is reviewed and recommended
for renewal by the NOSB and adopted by the Secretary of Agriculture.
This expiration is commonly referred to as sunset of the National List.
The National List appears at 7 CFR Part 205, Subpart G.
The principal purposes of the NOSB meeting are to provide an
opportunity for the NOSB to receive an update from the USDA/NOP and
hear progress reports from NOSB committees regarding work plan items
and proposed action items. The last meeting of the NOSB was held on
October 17-19, 2006, in Arlington, VA.
At its last meeting, the Board concluded its first review of the
169 substances on the National List since October 2002 that were due to
sunset October 2007. The Board recommended the renewal of 166 of the
169 exemptions and prohibitions on the National List (along with any
restrictive annotations), and the removal of 3 exemptions from the
National List. The sunset review process will now be on-going.
At this meeting, the Board will begin the sunset review process of
13 materials. There are 8 substances for use in crops and handling
which were placed on the National List on November 3, 2003, and are
scheduled to expire on November 3, 2008. There are 5 substances for use
in handling which were placed on the National List on November 4, 2003,
and are scheduled to expire on November 4, 2008. The sunset review
process must be concluded no later than November 3 and 4, 2008,
respectively. If renewal is not concluded by those dates, the use or
prohibition of these 13 materials will no longer be in compliance with
the National Organic Program.
The Policy Development Committee will present recommendations
regarding revisions to the NOSB Policy and Procedures Manual and a
guide for new NOSB members. The Policy Development, Crops and Livestock
Committees will jointly discuss their work towards guidance for the
certification of organic research sites.
The Crops Committee will present recommendations on Ammonium salts
of fatty acids and Pelargonic acid, materials petitioned for use on
Sec. 205.601. The Committee will begin their sunset review of Copper
sulfate, Ozone gas, and Peracetic acid, with their respective
annotations and limitations, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
List 3--Inerts of unknown toxicity--for use only in passive pheromone
dispensers. These National List material exemptions are due to expire
on November 3, 2008, from Sec. 205.601. The Committee will also begin
their sunset review on the exemption for Calcium chloride for use as a
brine-sourced foliar spray. Calcium chloride is otherwise considered a
prohibited natural substance on Sec. 205.602 and is also due to expire
on November 3, 2008.
The Materials and Handling Committees will discuss the materials
review process and provide an update regarding their efforts to clarify
the definitions of materials on the National List in Sec. Sec.
sections 205.605(a), (b) and Sec. 205.606.
The Handling Committee will present recommendations on fifty-three
materials petitioned for consideration for inclusion on either Sec.
205.605 or Sec. 205.606 for use in organic products: Carbon dioxide,
carrot fiber, celery powder, dillweed oil, fish gelatin, fish oils,
fructooligosaccharides (FOS), frozen galangal, gellan gum, hops,
inulin, chipotle peppers, Koji mold, lemongrass, milled flax seed,
natamycin, natural casings, non-fat dry milk, pectins (LM), poblano
peppers, red peppers, rice starch, Salvia hispanica, sea salt, seaweed
(Wakame, Undaria spp), spices (dried), sweet potato starch, turkish bay
leaves, whey protein concentrates, whey protein isolate, and yeast. The
following substances were petitioned for use in organic products as
colors only: Annatto extract, beet juice, beta carotene, black currant
juice, blueberry juice, carrot juice (orange), carrot juice (purple/
black), cherry juice, chokeberry-aronia juice, elderberry juice, grape
juice, grape skin extract, hibiscus juice, lycopene, paprika, pumpkin
juice, purple potato juice, red cabbage extract, red radish extract,
saffron, tomato juice extract, and turmeric.
Additionally, the Handling Committee will begin their sunset review
of National List material exemptions on Sec. 205.605(a) which are
Agar-agar and Tartaric acid, due to expire on November 3, 2008, and
Animal enzymes, Calcium sulfate, and Glucono delta-lactone, with their
respective annotations and limitations, due to expire on November 4,
2008. The Committee will also begin their sunset review of material
exemptions on Sec. 205.605(b) which are Ethylene (Allowed for
postharvest ripening of tropical fruit and degreening of citrus) due to
expire on November 3, 2008, and Cellulose and Potassium hydroxide, with
their respective annotations and limitations, due to expire on November
4, 2008.
The Livestock Committee will present their recommendations on the
development of organic aquaculture (finfish) standards, and the issue
of cloning in organic agriculture.
The Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification Committee will
discuss the standardization of information required on organic
certificates and peer review procedures.
The Meeting is Open to the Public. The NOSB has scheduled time for
public input for Tuesday, March 27, 2007, from 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.,
Wednesday, March 28, 2007, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 5
p.m., and Thursday, March 29, 2007, from 8 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Individuals and organizations wishing to make oral presentations at the
meeting may forward their requests by mail, facsimile, e-mail, or phone
to Valerie Frances as listed in ADDRESSES above. Individuals or
organizations will be
[[Page 10973]]
given approximately 5 minutes to present their views. All persons
making oral presentations are requested to provide their comments in
writing. Written submissions may contain information other than that
presented at the oral presentation. Anyone may submit written comments
at the meeting. Persons submitting written comments are asked to
provide 30 copies.
Interested persons may visit the NOSB portion of the NOP Web site
at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop to view available meeting documents
prior to the meeting, or visit http://www.regulations.gov to submit and view
comments as provided for in ADDRESSES above. Documents presented at the
meeting will be posted for review on the NOP Web site approximately 6
weeks following the meeting.
Dated: March 7, 2007.
Lloyd C. Day,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 07-1156 Filed 3-7-07; 3:12 pm]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P